T Weekly for August 9, 2018 by Muscat Media Group

VOL 11 ISSUE 34 / AUGUST 9, 2018

VOLUME 11 ISSUE 34 AUGUST 9, 2018 Founder: Essa bin Mohamed Al Zedjali Chairman: Mohamed Issa Al Zadjali CEO: Ahmed Essa Al Zedjali

On a mission to reuse and recycle Not all good work makes headlines, but it certainly travels miles and leaves a huge impact on our minds. Such is the story of Sini M P that we read a few months ago. A young woman from South India, she is doing her bit for nature in a unique way in India, making us think about how we, as individuals, can actually make a difference in the environment when it comes to environmental wastes that we are generating and amassing in huge amounts. Sini, a student of B Tech, noticed a pile of plastic ballpoint pens in a garbage bin that made her think deeply about the harmful effects of plastic. She not only came up with a brilliant idea of making paper pens but also started making toys out of trash. From almost anything — ice cream containers, plastic straws and CDs to other common household items — she makes dolls, whistles, and other playthings for children — all out of plastic waste. After all, one’s trash is another’s treasure, isn’t it? Our cover story this week is about making the most out of waste and how we can reduce and reuse some of the plastic waste. Here in Oman, while the Muscat Municipality is taking strong steps to reduce the plastic menace, especially in curbing the rampant use of plastic bags in hypermarkets, organisations such as Be’ah Oman Environmental Service Holding Company, are trying to implement sustainable waste management practices, and Bayie is trying to promote the use of second hand items. But what’s most important is awareness, and one must start at the grassroots level by educating children about waste management. While the word environment immediately transports us to a different world, here in Oman, we cannot stop waxing eloquent about Salalah and everything there — the drizzle, the mist, the Dhofari delicacies, and the all-pervading greenery. With the Khareef season still around, visit Salalah during the forthcoming Eid holidays. The lush green landscapes and waterfalls beckon and our Special Feature will be your perfect travel guide. That’s not all. From continental delights and coloured hair to improving our parental skills, there’s information galore for everyone. — Swati Dasgupta

Editor: Charles Lavery Features Editor: Swati Dasgupta Research Editor: Ashish Dubash Associate Editor: Shruthi Nair Copy Editor: Gautam Bhargav Viswanathan Online Editor: Christopher Isaac

Graphics Editor: Antonio Farach Design Editor: Sahir K.M. Lead Designer: Gregory Fernandez Designer: Geri B. Sonny, Jerrard Cedro Production Manager: Shafi Shaik Photography: MMG Photographers On The Cover: Design by Gregory Fernandez

For general enquiries or comments: swati@timesofoman.com

Muscat Media Group AN ISO 9001:2008 CERTIFIED COMPANY Post Box: 770, Postal Code: 112, Ruwi, Sultanate of Oman EDITORIAL 24726600/24726666 Ext 214 swati@timesofoman.com ADVERTISEMENT 24726600/24726666 Ext 432 ajayraj@timesofoman.com

CIRCULATION 24726600/24726666 Ext 135/136 circulation@timesofoman.com

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WHATâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S ON THIS WEEK

12 SUNDAY

11.00am Music Workshop Join the music making workshop that offer courses focusing on groups of children working together to make music by learning technical skills to assist them in their talent.

THURSDAY

11.00pm Dance Your Heart Out Ready to dance on the beats of some awesome tracks? Go to any of the lounges in Oman and enjoy a night filled with music, dance, and great food.

MONDAY 5.30pm Kayak your Way to the Sun Enjoy a scenic sunset kayaking in Qurum, Bandar Khayran, Quriyat or Qantab this weekend.

11 10

FRIDAY 1.00pm The Voice Workshop Kindle the music in you through meditation, singing exercises, voice modulations, breathing techniques and by participating in competitions and open mics happening across town.

SATURDAY 11.00am Startup Chat If you are a social entrepreneur or planning to be one, then you should attend startup chat and expect sharing business ideas, and experiences.

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TUESDAY

10.00am Pole Fitness Explore a new fitness regime through pole dancing.

WEDNESDAY 7.40pm Breathe In Breathe Out Interested in meditation? Go for a weekly guided meditation session with a different theme presented every week.

Overboard (Film) Genre: Comedy, Romance Cast: Eugenio Derbez, Anna Faris, Eva Longoria A spoiled, wealthy yacht owner is thrown overboard and becomes the target of revenge from his mistreated employee.

(Genre

Counterpart (TV Series) Genre: Drama, Sci Fi, Thriller Cast: J.K. Simmons, Harry Lloyd, Nazanin Boniadi

Final Portrait (Film) Genre: Biography, Drama, Comedy Cast: Geoffrey Rush, Armie Hammer, Tony Shalhoub

A hapless UN employee discovers the agency he works for is hiding a gateway to a parallel dimension thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in Cold War with our own, and where his other self is a top spy. The war slowly heats up thanks to spies from both sides.

The story is of Swiss painter and sculptor Alberto Giacometti.

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P L E H U O P Y U N D E N H E W U O T Y E , S N R A L E P H E H OT T G N I P HEL

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We’ve all been there. That moment where you walk past a person’s home and see a cardboard box of discarded items – sometimes, more than one – ﬁlled with odds and ends that most of us would spend no more than a few seconds to give this box and its contents a cursory glance.

few old clothes, too faded to be worn, but still too good to be relegated to the position of mop cloth, chipped mugs, cracked plates, old newspapers, old electronics, bottles that have long gone out of shape, combs with a few broken teeth, the list of what goes into these cardboard boxes with the intention of throwing them out is almost endless. Yet, as is often repeated, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. To you and I, these discarded items may be of little value, but to a veritable army of people, these cast-offs are vital. Not long after you place this cardboard box outside your door, expecting it to be carted away along with the rest of your household refuse the next day, you’re alerted to a knock on your door. Standing there is a maid, asking you if she can take the chipped crockery from your box. You agree to it almost immediately. With a little bit of glue and a whole lot of love, she brings the plates back into use, saving her precious funds that instead of being spent on new ones in the shops, can now be sent to her family back home. All across Oman, although we may not see it, until the people who need these items actually walk up to us asking for them, there is always a market for second-hand items. In addition to providing people with several vital goods that are of great use to them, this culture of repurposing used goods carries a great number of other benefits as well. For one, it reduces the rampant consumerism that is now unfortunately a part and parcel of our lives. The longer you extend the utility of a particular item, the longer the need to replace it, irrespective of who is using it. In addition, it means less waste is generated as a whole: discarded goods often find their way into dump sites and landfills, but now that they’ve been given a new home, they don’t add to the immediate environmental degradation. In this case, it was a maid, but it could just as easily have been the municipal worker in green overalls or the man who trims the hedges and sweeps the footpath, asking you for the disused Walkman in the box. It’ll provide him great comfort while he’s out on the job. It may be your water delivery guy requesting the

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discarded glass and plastic bottles outside – he can exchange them at his company’s bottling plant for some money. Recycling, says Alhassan Al Nabhani of Be’ah, the Sultanate’s leading waste management and recycling firm, should be ingrained in our culture. “This is a very important measure to reduce the overall waste generated and landfilled in Oman,” he said. “Be’ah encourages such activities through our community outreach programme and we promote ideas where old materials can be reused. Reuse of materials form part of Be’ah’s waste management hierarchy and is a strategy which we are promoting. Be’ah is working with universities to develop a reuse centre in Oman where old household items can be brought for refurbishment and once refurbished can be sold to interested parties. “The key responsibility assigned to Be’ah is to restructure, corporatise and privatise the waste management activities across the Sultanate,” added Al Nabhani. “As part of this initiative, Be’ah has supported private companies to set up recycling plants in Oman through issue of No-Objection Letters. Moreover, Be’ah has signed contract with private investors for treatment of car batteries, recycling of used tyres and recycling of construction and demolition waste. Currently Be’ah is working with international experts for development of an electronic waste treatment facility and used cooking oil facility in Oman and other waste streams. “Furthermore, four sorting facilities are expected to be established in the Sultanate as part of the municipal solid waste management contracts in several parts of Oman. These facilities will help not only recovering material from currently landfilled waste but will provide raw material for downstream processing,” he added. Muscat Municipality too, encourages the re-use of goods within the community. An official from the government body

said: “If the activity is not commercial and the owner had previously planned to throw these things away, there is no legislation in the municipalities that prevents the person from selling them to another consumer if any person asks to own them. But to conduct a continuous business they must obtain a licence.” It is not uncommon for people to then ask you if you have any other secondhand goods that you are looking to dispose of, even if it is for a small fee. With a large expat population in the country, the selling of second-hand goods is quite common. While some do approach you for second-hand goods in a face-to-face manner, a growing section of the population chooses to do so through sites such as bayie.com and OLX Arabia, which have a large marketplace for the purchase and sale of second-hand goods. Manas Xavier, Product Manager for bayie.com said: “The good thing with recycling things is that you can use

WE HAVE ABOUT

40,000 TO 50,000 VISITORS ON OUR SITE, AND EVERY MONTH, WE HAVE BETWEEN 1,000 AND 2,000 NEW REGISTRATIONS, SO THERE IS QUITE A STRONG MARKET FOR RECYCLED GOODS, ESPECIALLY IN THE CURRENT ECONOMY. NEEMA HAMZA DIGITAL MARKETING EXECUTIVE FOR BAYIE.COM.

them over and over again. We have been around for about one year now, because we realised that it was important to give people in Oman a good local platform to buy and sell things. The feedback from the customers so far has been very good, and we are looking to expand further in the future. What we are seeing is that both Omanis and expats use our site to sell goods, and that is a good sign.” “We have about 40,000 to 50,000 visitors on our site, and every month, we have between 1,000 and 2,000 new registrations, so there is quite a strong market for recycled goods, especially in the current economy,” added Neema Hamza, digital marketing executive for bayie. com. “Most of the goods we sell are cars and household items, and there is also a strong demand for real estate. I think that buying recycled goods really ﬁts the purpose these days, because you can get good products for a cheaper price. If you can get something for a cheaper amount

and it serves your needs, then why not go for it? If you want to decorate your house for example, and there is used furniture available, I think it is a great opportunity to get the things you need at a cheaper rate, so you can get things easily in the long-run. You shouldn’t just throw it away, because it still has some value that can be used by someone else. Until the item begins to degrade, it can be used.” The ethos of re-using and recycling goods is best explained by John Noja, general manager for OLX Oman. “Every item for sale has an audience, while every buyer has that one attractive good that they need – leading us to the oldest equation is the history of humanity: an unwanted item at your possession is wanted by someone else within your community,” he told T magazine. “When the Sultanate residents trade items they no longer need or use, the overall supply in the Omani market increases. This leads to lower prices, increasing the

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RECYCLING CAN HAVE A POSITIVE IMPACT ON THE WORLD WE LIVE IN, THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT AROUND US AND US AS HUMANS IN THE LONG TERM. IT IS IMPORTANT TO TAKE ACTION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE ON THE ISSUE OF RECYCLING AS THE AMOUNT OF WASTE IS INCREASING RAPIDLY. RECYCLING ALSO REDUCES ENERGY CONSUMPTION AND IT HELPS CONSERVE NATURAL RESOURCES SUCH AS TIMBER, WATER, AND MINERALS. ANTONIA VEGH EVENTS AND VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR ENVIRONMENTAL SOCIETY OF OMAN

quantity of trade and keeping money in the local economy. “In addition, as the residents sell their unused goods, they have more money to buy what they want,” added Noja, “This increase in demand expands market price and quantity, as well as creating even more local trade. These items can be anything, from baby clothes to mobile phones to cars. This is the true power of classifieds. As part of our commitment as a brand to give back to the community, we have been educating the public on the benefits of using the second hand market, but as a side effect, we are helping the environment by driving user behaviour into adapting to re-using unwanted items instead of disposing them.” Since the beginning of 2018, the company has seen an item listed on OLX Oman every two minutes, with over 130,000 users browsing thousands of items, which had a total value of OMR 14.5 million. Seven million visits were recorded on the site in the first half of June 2018. Among the most common goods posted were home and garden furniture such as sofas, beds, tables and cupboards, electronic and home appliances such as refrigerators, washing machines, airconditioners, TVs and gaming consoles and childcare items such as car seats, cribs, strollers, bicycles, and toys. People were also looking to do away with more expensive goods online, such as mobile phones, with some of the most popular brands being iPhones, Samsung,

Huawei, Nokia, and Apple Watches, while others were hawking traditional Omani goods, as well as cosmetics, perfumes, and watches. “Since mobile is the emerging future of the online business, we have invested heavily in our mobile app and have dedicated mobile teams who are continuously looking for new ways to enhance the user experience across both iOS and Android,” said Noja. “91% of the traffic to OLX Oman comes from mobile.” If one were to extrapolate the items available on OLX and Bayie with the people who needed them the most, the lines drawn become very obvious. Secondhand goods are a boon for many lowerincome groups, while many of the goods they receive are in very good condition. “This is very important as recycling can have a positive impact on the world we live in, the natural environment around us and us as humans in the long term,” said Antonia Vegh, events and volunteer coordinator at the Environmental Society of Oman. “It is important to take action as soon as possible on the issue of recycling as the amount of waste is increasing rapidly. Recycling also reduces energy consumption and it helps conserve natural resources such as timber, water, and minerals. Having said this, recycling is not the ultimate solution for the increased waste issue, rather an approach of ‘Refuse’ and ‘Reduce’ should be adopted. “In line with ESO’s objective to raise

awareness in the community, we advocate the importance of recycling and the importance of the three “R”s, which are Refuse, Reduce and Recycle,” she added. “We engage with different segments of the society across all regions of the Sultanate. Garbage disposed off emits harmful chemicals and greenhouse gases which in return increase the pollution, contribute to climate change, habitat destruction and deforestation to mention a few.” Vegh added that although a culture of recycling was still nascent in Oman, a good practice of any society was to encourage a culture of recycling, so that future generations would know not just the value of the things we buy and own, but also the importance of keeping the environment clean. “The ﬁrst step to promoting a culture of recycling is deﬁnitely awareness,” she told T magazine. “As responsible members of a society, we need to adopt the recycling culture which begins with being responsible consumers in all aspects of our daily lives. John Noja added: “We have done research with Allcot Group, which showed us that Oman residents exchanged 416,543 items in 13 different categories through OLX Oman in 2017, resulting in savings of three million tons of CO2 emissions. Hence, we are proud of the role we play and our contribution to a sustainable environment.” —gautam@timesofoman.com

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KHAREEF DIARIES

SALALAH, THE JEWEL OF THE It’s hot in Muscat at the moment. Forget Muscat, it’s hot across all of the Middle East right now. And if there’s one thing that links people in the Middle East with the British, it’s not their love of tea and biscuits. It’s talking about the weather. The oppressive heat, which starts out with the sun choosing to beam down rays that can be considered “warm” in May to dialing it all the way up to “oppressively hot” in July, is all anyone can talk about.

eople find their own ways to escape the heat. Many expats choose to go home on holiday, some stay indoors and crank up the air-conditioner, some, though, choose to head to Salalah and take in the cool weather, fine drizzle, and refreshing breeze of the Khareef. The Arabic word for “autumn,” the Khareef season, lasts from about the first week of July to sometime around the last week of September. During this time, the normally dry swathes of Oman’s southern Dhofar Governorate are transformed into a lush green paradise, providing a stark relief from the sweltering heat across the Arabian Peninsula. We recently had the chance to experience the

uniqueness of the Khareef and all that it had to offer, and truth be told, it didn’t disappoint. Far from it — Salalah’s Khareef is an experience everyone must enjoy at least once in their lifetime, if not more often. Nearly 650,000 visitors came to Salalah during the 2017 Khareef season, spending around OMR66.3 million, and that number is expected to double, as existing visitors return to Dhofar and as the popularity of Oman’s southern governorate spreads. Word of mouth, after all, is the best form of advertising. While experiencing the Khareef ﬁrsthand is one thing, the anticipation you develop as you head

closer and closer to what is a truly one-of-a-kind phenomenon is another. If you’re making the long drive to Salalah, it’s only natural for your face to light up in eagerness, excitement, and awe as you see the fog rolling across the plains of the Dhofar for the ﬁrst time, its lush green mountains providing the perfect canvas for you to beat the heat, accompanied by the gentle pitter-patter of rain on your windshield, your eyes widening in wonder as they cascade down the windows in the form of gentle, graceful rivulets. It is a journey people from across the Gulf actually take more often that you’d think — Salalah sees 4x4s with registration plates from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, and even Qatar roll up during the Khareef. Arabs do, after all, love to drive, and the epic road trip they take to and from (and across) the Dhofar makes their Khareef journey all the more worthwhile. If you’re ﬂying in, do book early, because this is not a journey you’d want to miss. It’s only natural for the inner child in you to peer out the window and look at the fog blanketing the Dhofar, the green tree-tops of mountains poking through them. Do look out for areas where the fog breaks, though – there’s some stunning natural beauty just waiting to be seen. But don’t take out your phone just yet, as you’ll be landing soon enough.

PHOTOGRAPHY MMG, SUPPLIED

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KHALEEJ

If Oman is known as a “cool” place, then Salalah during Khareef is the very deﬁnition of “chill.” Everyone is in a holiday mood — both the locals as well as those who come to Salalah to unwind. With the weather being this awesome, many take to pitching tents in the outdoors, some of them comfortable enough to accommodate a large family and all their stuff. Others, though, prefer to stay ensconced in luxury, as they choose to enjoy the full extent of the Khareef in a different manner.

Nature lover’s paradise Nevertheless, there is plenty for everyone to do in Salalah. There are many who choose to rent a four-wheel drive, buy some barbecuing supplies, pick up a few choice cuts of meat, and drive up into the hills, the sizzling of the meats on the hot grill contrasting nicely with the gentle drizzle. Others choose to dismount and travel the city and its outlying areas on foot, soaking in the greenery as they walk around. Salalah is a nature lover’s paradise, with many indigenous species of ﬂora and fauna being found there. Chief among them has to be the boswellia sacra, more commonly known to all of us as the frankincense tree. The frankincense from Dhofar is among the ﬁnest in the world, making it the nexus of the frankincense trade of the ancient world, when the famed resin was exported to places as far as the Roman Empire and Ancient Egypt, as well as to Chinese emperors. Today, the Land of Frankincense is one of Salalah’s most popular tourist destinations, and features four ancient settlements that form part of the Land of Frankincense Unesco Heritage Site: Sumuharam, Ubhar, Khor Rori, and Ubhar. Salalah is a city that delicately balances both the traditional and the modern. One of the standout landmarks in the city has to be the Sultan Qaboos Mosque, named after His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, who spent many of his formative years in Salalah. Another must-visit is Taqah Castle, a fort located some 33km from the Dhofari capital, which was built in the 19th century. But if you’re the sort of person who likes to stretch his legs, kick back, and enjoy all the comforts of the Khareef, don’t be disappointed. Salalah is also the Sultanate’s agricultural heartland, and every harvest season, a large open-air bazaar sees farmers set up stalls replete with the freshest produce, including coconuts, mangoes, bananas, and a host of other delicious farm-fresh fare. The region’s hotels also have plenty to offer. We were able to sample some of the region’s tasti-

est Arab fare, which came in the form of some delicious manakeesh, the traditional unleavened bread, folded in with melted cheese and savoury herbs and served with pickled veggies (excuse us while we swoon), creamy hummus and garlic sauce, as well as crunchy arayes, little pita pockets that feature the finest cuts of lamb and a smattering of Arabic herbs. Don’t eat too much of that though. Salalah’s kabsa (the Arabic version of pulao) is a delicious, hearty combination of flavourful rice and zesty chunks of meat, served with some cooling mint raita. There are other options available, too: Oman’s grilled chicken is a melt-in-your-mouth delight that goes best with the vibrant lentil soups Salalah is famous for, unless you’d rather wash it down with water from a tender coconut, brought to your table just minutes after being cut down from one of the thousands of coconut palms in the region. Dhofari delicacies Of course, you mustn’t leave out the desserts. From your traditional Arabic um Ali to a Western favourite, brownies with strawberry ice cream (unless you prefer chocolate lave cake), Salalah has every ingredient you could possibly imagine to elevate you towards paradise. There are, of course, a multitude of other dining options available, ranging from Indian to Chinese and everything in between. However, if you are invited into a local’s house for lunch, do accept the invitation. Traditional Omani hospitality is renowned the world over, and an afternoon spent with a local family is an event that will live long in your memory, providing you with the perfect cherry on top of the richest of Khareef cakes. “Given its location in the GCC, Oman is one of the few countries that truly enjoys a winter season, with significantly lower temperatures up in the mountainous areas,” said James Hewitson, General Manager of the Al Baleed Resort by Anantara Salalah. “In Salalah, temperatures rarely exceed the mid-30s and a rain-free, balmy environment is maintained throughout most of the year. The Khareef season, which usually stretches between the end of June and September, provides a nice respite as well, with its cooler temperatures and misty air. Nature lovers from around the GCC flock to Salalah for Khareef to experience the beauty and escape the heat of the rest of the Middle East.” —gautam@timesofoman.com

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SNACKS Continental food or the food that’s prepared in Europe has gained in popularity throughout the world over the past few years. And when it comes to light ﬁnger bites or easy snacks, choices are plenty in Continental cuisine. This week let’s make some delectable Continental appetisers and stick to our policy of keeping it simple, nutritious, and ﬂavourful. RECIPES BY ONEZA TABISH

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ASIAN CHICKEN WINGS Crispy oven baked chicken wings coated in a sweet, spicy Asian glaze is a delectable appetiser cum snack that will wow all your guests for sure. Ingredients • 1/2 cup brown sugar • 1/4 cup soya sauce • 2 tablespoons Thai chilli sauce • 2 tablespoons oil • 3 cloves garlic, minced • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger • 1 kg chicken wing pieces Preparation Pre-heat oven to 190 degrees C. Add brown sugar, soy sauce, Thai chilli sauce, oil, garlic and ginger to a bowl and mix well. Set aside. Line a baking tray with aluminium foil. Place chicken wing pieces on the tray, skin side up. Baste the top side of the chicken with the marinade and bake for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, turn the chicken and baste the other side. Bake for another 10 minutes. Serve wings immediately or keep warm.

CORN CHEESE BALLS Corn and cheese balls are a delicious snack to pair with a hot cup of tea or coffee. Bond with friends and family with this easy recipe. Ingredients • 2 tablespoons butter • 2 1/2 tablespoons plain flour • 1/2 cup warm milk • 3/4 cup boiled and crushed sweet corn kernels • 1/3 cup mozzarella cheese • 1/4 cup finely chopped coriander • 2 teaspoons finely chopped green chillies • Salt to taste • Bread crumbs for coating • Oil for deep-frying To be mixed into a batter/slurry • 1 cup plain flour • 3/4 cup water Preparation Heat butter in a deep non-stick pan, add the flour and cook for 1/2 minute. Add milk and allow to simmer till the mixture thickens and leaves the sides of the pan, while stirring continuously. Remove from flame and transfer to a plate. Add corn, cheese, coriander, green chillies, and salt. Allow it to cool completely. Once cooled, mix well and divide the mixture into 15 equal portions and shape each into a round ball. Dip a few balls at a time in the flour-water mixture and roll them in the breadcrumbs till they are evenly coated from all sides. Heat oil in a wok and deep-fry the balls, a few at a time on medium flame till they are golden brown in colour.

Drain on absorbent paper. Serve immediately with tomato ketchup. DYNAMITE PRAWNS This crispy fried prawns is coated in a spicy tangy mayo sauce. A perfect recipe for a favourite appetiser. Ingredients • 15-20 large prawns peeled and deveined For the batter • 1/4 teaspoon salt • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper • 1 egg • 4 tablespoons corn ﬂour For the sauce • 1/2 cup mayonnaise • 5 tablespoons red chilli sauce • 3 tablespoons tomato ketchup • 1/4 teaspoon chilli powder • 1 teaspoon honey • 1 clove garlic minced • 1/4 teaspoon sesame oil • 1 teaspoon vinegar

Preparation Wash the prawns, and drain on kitchen paper. Pat dry with kitchen paper. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the batter ingredients, and whisk. Add prawns and mix well until coated. Heat oil in a large pot and fry the prawns for about 1-2 minutes. To make sure the oil is at right temperature, ﬁrst test it by adding a bit of the batter to the oil. If it sizzles, it means

the oil is at the right temperature. Fry only 2 or 3 prawns at a time. Drain the prawns on kitchen paper. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the sauce ingredients and then add the fried prawns to coat with the sauce. Serve immediately. WATERMELON FETA MINT STICKS Refreshing watermelon, aromatic mint and salty feta, come together to create a sweet and savoury snack that’s not only quick to make but perfectly healthy for any party. Ingredients • Watermelon, cut into 1-inch cubes • Firm block of feta cheese, cut into 1/2 - 3/4-inch cubes • Mint leaves • Balsamic vinegar Preparation Thread a piece of watermelon onto a toothpick stick, followed by a mint leaf, a cube of feta, another mint leaf, and another piece of watermelon. Repeat with the remaining ingredients. Store covered in the refrigerator for upto 1 hour, if desired. Just before serving, drizzle each stick with balsamic vinegar and serve.

Oneza Tabish is a food blogger, consultant, and columnist based in Oman. She is also the owner of Oman’s popular Facebook group ‘What’s Cooking Oman.’

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MAINTAIN YOUR HAIR COLOUR STORY ANTARA BOSE

From coppery reds to bright blues, we’ve had our share of fun with hair colours. But how do we make them stay the shade they originally were? Coloured hair comes with its own set of dos and don’ts. Here are a few things you might want to keep in mind if you’re sporting a new shade.

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Make some changes to your shampoo sessions: To start with, you’ll have to reduce the number of times you shampoo in a week. We understand you might not want to skip shampooing altogether. After all, you want to show off your new colour in its best form. Opt for dry shampoos for these days. You would also need to pay close attention to what goes into your shampoos. Look out for sulphatefree shampoos. This particular ingredient can strip your hair of its natural oils and also your new colour.

Practice deep conditioning: If you want your hair colour to really shine, you need to ensure your hair is healthy. Dry, brittle, lifeless hair can make even the best of colours look dull. Because coloured hair is more susceptible to damage and dryness, ensure you use deep conditioning masks frequently to keep hair feeling soft, nourished and silky.

5 2

Skip hot showers: You’ll have to skip your hot water baths if you want your colour to stay longer. Hey, it’s not good for your hair anyway. Hot water opens up cuticles and that means your hair colouring is going to run a little too.

Sun-protect your hair: We always try and protect our skin from the harmful rays of the sun, don’t we? Then why should our tresses miss out on the care? Wear a hat wherever possible as sunrays can suck the colour out making your glossy colour look rather washed out.

Go for regular touch-ups: It’s important to go for regular touch-ups so that your hair doesn’t fall prey to ‘banding’. It happens when the new root colour overlaps the old colour resulting in your roots looking lighter than the rest of your hair.

Keep trimming: Hair colour doesn’t sit well on strands if they are frayed. Keep trimming split ends so you have a more even surface for the colour. Besides, it will also boost healthy hair growth.

Prep before pool time: If you’ve come back from a long day in the pool to ﬁnd your new hair colour a different shade altogether, don’t be too surprised. It’s bound to happen if you haven’t prepped your locks in advance. No, there is no point blaming the chlorine in the water, it’s doing its job. If you love swimming, or simply soaking in the pool, take a dollop of conditioner on your ﬁngers and run it through your strands. However, the most ideal option would be to wear a swim cap.

Leave-in serums: There are hair tonics, serums and conditioners that you can just leave-in and they’ll seal in the required moisturiser and protect the hair from sun damage. Find a formula that works for you and we guarantee you won’t leave home without it once you see the results.

Antara Bose is a model turned fashion and beauty consultant. A popular blogger, anchor, and voice over artist, she maintains a deep connection with the local fashion industry and is passionate about discovering and celebrating aspiring talent as well as promoting animal rights. For fashion updates with a side of humour and sarcasm follow Antara on instagram @antarabose and on Facebook: Antara Bose.

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ast week a conversation with a friend sent my mind into a tizzy. We were talking about her son’s summer plans when she said something like, ‘If it had been my daughter I would have been behind her always but since it was my son I didn’t really nag him. I ﬁgured he’d work things out on his own.’ Being mother of two girls I has never really given much thought to this before. Do we, as parents, treat our sons differently from our daughters? Mothers are more critical of their daughters than their sons, according to a 2,500-strong survey by parenting website Netmums. More than half said in the survey that they had formed a stronger bond with their sons and mothers were more likely to describe their little girls as “stroppy” and “serious”, and their sons as “cheeky” and “loving”. The report warned that girls grow up with more self-critical issues, and suffer as a result.

VOLUME 11 ISSUE 34 AUGUST 9, 2018

ARE WE REALLY STORY FARZEEN ASHIK

WHEN IT COMES TO

As mothers when it comes to daughters we see them more as an extension of ourselves and this makes us more critical. We are more likely to criticise them if they show negative traits we’ve passed on to them that we aren’t really proud of. And when our sons don’t meet our expectations we probably go easier on them, at least the mums do. Also, our expectations from our daughters are different. Do we expect our sons to help in the kitchen, tidy up the rooms, look after their younger siblings? Maybe a few of the parents out there are genuinely gender-blind but the vast majority of us continue to reinforce the age-old stereotypes. We raise our daughters expecting them one day to have their own families and run their homes. Of course, this is in addition to them being super students and successful professionals as well. But when it comes to our sons we only expect them to be successful doctors, engineers, businessmen, artists, and more, and we don’t really worry about whether they are going to be supportive husbands or good fathers, do we? Of the 2,672 mothers questioned by Netmums, 15% said that they had formed a stronger bond with their sons than their daughters. That would obviously be the case I guess since we moms probably nagged our daughters to death. We probably don’t do this consciously but research suggests that our interactions with our children are gender-speciﬁc and has far-reaching consequences on their cognitive and behavioural development. In a study published in The British Journal of Developmental Psychology in 2014, authors Ana Aznar and Harriet Tenenbaum found that mothers are more likely to use emotional words and emotional content when speaking with their four-year-old daughters than with their four-year-old sons.

The fact that we talk more to our daughters about our emotions is not really a shocker, is it? This could possibly be the reason why women typically have a higher EQ than men and we are more likely to find emotionally unavailable men. Research shows that kids in kindergarten who can understand and interpret emotions generally do better socially that those who do not. And it’s not just moms who show this difference. New research showed that fathers also use more emotion-laden language while speaking to their daughters. This in turn reinforces the girls to be more emotional and expressive than boys. Also, it was found that daughters were more likely to talk to their fathers about their emotions than sons. There were also significant differences in the kind of language fathers used with sons and daughters. Fathers were more likely to use achievement-related words with their sons — “top,” “win,” “proud”— while using more emotion-laden and analytical words with their daughters. “Most parents say they want boys to be more expressive, but don’t know [they] are speaking differently to them,” says Tenenbaum. Gone are the days when boys were encouraged to keep their emotions hidden. In the new world boys are being taught to be more expressive. And the easiest way to do that is to use emotion-laden language with both your sons and daughters. Whether we accept it or not the truth is that we do treat our children differently. And it’s not just mothers who do this but fathers too. A new study published in the Journal Behavioral Neuroscience provides one of the first in-depth analyses of how fathers interact with their children and what this might mean in terms of brain physiology. As expected, fathers were more likely to engage in rough and tumble play with sons rather than daughters. When interacting with daughters, however, fathers were more likely to engage in singing or whistling, and were also more emotionally and socially responsive. Now don’t you think these are some interesting points to mull about before your next parent-child chat? We could still change the world, one child at a time.

Farzeen Ashik is the author of the prizewinning novel ‘Rainbow Dorm Diaries–The Yellow Dorm’.

VOLUME 11 ISSUE 34 AUGUST 9, 2018

THE MEG Cast: Rainn Wilson, Jason Statham, Li Bingbing, Ruby Wilson 200 miles off the Chinese coast, a 75-foot-long prehistoric shark called megalodon, thought to be long dead, rises from the depths of the ocean and attacks a research submersible, leaving its crew stranded. Diver Jonas Taylor is called into action to help rescue the crew and stop the creature before it attacks the mainland. Running at: Vox Cinemas, City Cinemas, Al Bahja Cinema

THE CATCHER WAS A SPY

LASHTAM PASHTAM

Cast: Mark Strong, Paul Rudd, Connie Nielsen, Jeff Daniels, Paul Giamatti, Sienna Miller

Cast: Priyananshu Chatterjee, Tisca Chopra, Om Puri Lashtam Pashtam is a drama based in Dubai and explores the bond of friendship between two boys — an Indian and a Pakistani — who are doubles partners in tennis.

This gripping, stranger-than-ﬁction espionage thriller brings to life the incredible true story of Moe Berg, the professional baseball player who became a World War II spy. The enigmatic Berg was already a man of mystery when, the US government’s wartime intelligence agency enlisted his services.

O T H E R

R E L E A S E S

T H I S

W E E K

COMING SOON

SATYAMEVA JAYATE Cast: John Abraham, Aisha Sharma, Manoj Bajpayee

CRAZY RICH ASIANS Cast: Constance Wu, Michelle Yeoh, Henry Golding

VOLUME 11 ISSUE 34 AUGUST 9, 2018

SUDOKU

HOW TO PLAY Fill empty cells with the numbers 1 to 9, so that each number appears once in each row, column, and area.

Level | Easy

6 2

7 8

Level | Moderate

4 8

6 6 6

6 3

Level | Difficult

8 3

7 5

5 7

8 7

4 2

Difficult

7 8 6 3 5 9 4

1 4 2 9 3 5 8

4 5 8 6 3 1 2 7 9

2 3 9 7 5 8 4 6 1

8 9 2 5 1 6 7 4 3

3 4 6 2 9 7 8 1 5

7 1 5 3 8 4 9 2 6

Medium

Easy

4 7 6 2 8 3 9 1 5

3 5 9 6 1 4 8 7 2

1 2 8 9 5 7 6 4 3

7 1 3 5 6 9 2 8 4

8 6 2 7 4 1 5 3 9

9 4 5 3 2 8 7 6 1

5 3 1 8 7 2 4 9 6

2 8 4 1 9 6 3 5 7

6 9 7 4 3 5 1 2 8

5 9 1 3 8 6 2 7 4

8 6 2 5 4 7 1 3 9

7 4 3 2 9 1 5 8 6

9 5 8 1 7 4 6 2 3

3 1 4 6 5 2 7 9 8

2 7 6 9 3 8 4 5 1

4 2 9 7 1 3 8 6 5

6 8 5 4 2 9 3 1 7

1 3 7 8 6 5 9 4 2

THIS WEEK’S SOLUTIONS

HAVE YOU BEEN TO St Petersburg? many Soviet soldiers are hiding hoping It’s a stunning city. Home to the great to take the enemy unawares), Isakovich’s Tsars of Russia, the city was an architecdetachment is redeployed to Stalingrad, tural and cultural marvel, featuring works the epicentre for one of World War II’s of art and design that the rest of the world most brutal battles. had only heard of. Most battles are wars of attrition — St Petersburg is a city with many histosometimes one side gains ground, at ries. It is also a city with two names, and other times, the other must fall back. In quite fittingly, the lighter, more cultured Stalin’s Soviet Union, though, there was side of the city is remembered by the no place for retreat, no room to surname it currently holds. render. A new military directive, called Call it by its former name – Leningrad Order 227, brands all soldiers who flee – and you automatically remind people of from combat, even if it is only temporary a darker side of history. The kind of hisor tactical, as traitors of the state, who tory that’s laid all too bare in Company of will be shot on sight. Heroes 2. Faced with no other option but to press Created by the world-renowned game forward, and with support from Russia’s makers at Sega, Company famed T-74 tanks, among of Heroes 2 transports some of the most infamous gamers into the Soviet THE SHORT AND SKINNY armoured units of the war, battlefields of World War the Soviets neutralise II, where men fought, bled Name: Company of Heroes 2 several German artillery Genre: Historical RTS and died in far greater positions before gaining a Produced by: SEGA and Relic numbers than they did foothold in Stalingrad, with Entertainment everywhere else. Isakovich an inspiration for What it’s about: War has come The game follows the his troops. to the Soviet Union! Russia’s sons same overwhelmingly popEveryone is required to and daughters must now fight for ular model as its predeceslay down their lives in the the motherland, no matter the cost. sor. Build a base, establish battle to save Mother RusEvery single comrade must fight to supply lines, and assemble sia: Stalin even conscripted defeat Adolf Hitler’s oppressors. enough troops to flush out penal battalions, comprised Where to buy: Steam, G2A Games, the enemy. While its predeof prisoners who were sent Amazon, Company of Heroes website, cessor did place more of an to the front lines as part of Microsoft Store emphasis on base-building, their prison sentences. Platforms: Microsoft Windows, Company of Heroes 2 has Although liberated, StalLinux, Mac OS X a more engaging storyline. ingrad is now reduced to IGN Rating: 8.4/10 The entire story is told in rubble, and as the Soviets a flashback, through the are regrouping, the ruins eyes of Lieutenant Lev of a building fall on top of Abramovich Isakovich, who, seven years him, Isakovich. Several Soviet soldiers after the war ended, recounts his horrific request permission to rescue their leader, tale to his former commanding officer, but once they do bring him back to base, Colonel Churkin, who visits him at his they are shot for dereliction of duty, degulag (Soviet concentration camp) in the spite requesting permission to do so. Isanumbingly-cold Siberian winter. kovich is sent back to Moscow to recover Lt Isakovich had distinguished himself from his wounds, where he hears about in the service of the Soviet motherland. the similar horrors of what transpired in He was among the first line of Soviet Leningrad. infantrymen to witness the brutalities of What follows after Stalingrad tells not the German Wehrmacht when operation just the tale of how the Soviets hammered Barbarossa (the German invasion of the back the Germans, but the untold human Russian homeland) began. cost and suffering along the way. Some After following Soviet dictator Josef may lose their lives, but others — more Stalin’s scorched earth policy of destroyworryingly — lose themselves. Company ing any asset that could be of use to the of Heroes 2 spins the tale of war with enemy, including the torching of homes great detail, and is definitely a game worth and the burning of fields (within which playing.—gautam@timesofoman.com

TIMES DIGITAL DOWNLOAD

COMPANY OF HEROES 2

VOLUME 11 ISSUE 34 AUGUST 9, 2018

Bank Muscat presence enlivens Salalah Festival 2018

ank Muscat, has made its presence enlivening at Salalah Festival 2018, the Sultanate’s annual tourism and cultural extravaganza, which is on till August 25. The bank has launched an attractive social media promotion on Instagram where participants can refer a friend and get chances to win all-expenses-paid package to visit Salalah along with a companion. The package includes Muscat-Salalah return air tickets, hotel accommodation and sight-seeing arrangements. Attractive card promotions are also under way as part of Salalah Festival. The Anantara offer is available for all Bank Muscat debit and credit cardholders to avail 20% discount at all Anantara hotels worldwide. The offer is valid for booking and stay till 31 December 2018.

In a promotion targeted at Premier banking customers, Al Jawhar, Asalah Priority banking and Private banking Visa cardholders are entitled to 50% discount on Vox Cinema tickets across the Sultanate every Tuesday and Wednesday. The Bank Muscat Offers App include the latest promotions and discount offers available for Bank Muscat cardholders across merchant outlets, malls, airlines and hotels. The latest offers on the bank’s products can be redeemed at merchant outlets on the use of Bank Muscat debit or credit cards. The app has a very user friendly interface to locate the merchant locations where the offers are available. Salalah Festival celebrating the monsoon splendour and cultural heritage of Oman perfectly ﬁts into the corporate

ethos of Bank Muscat in serving the largest banking family in Oman as well as visitors from the region and around the world. As the nation’s ﬂagship ﬁnancial services provider, Bank Muscat seeks to utilise all opportunities in reaching out to people, offering them an enriching experience. While Salalah offers a rewarding experience to enjoy nature’s bounty, Bank Muscat complements this experience by facilitating banking convenience to all. Bank Muscat stalls adorn the festival venues where the bank personnel are available to familiarise visitors on promotional campaigns, services and products offered by the bank. Bank Muscat ATMs and CDMs provide banking convenience and connectivity to visitors and tourists.

In all the previous editions of Salalah Festival, Bank Muscat has been closely involved with the popular family event. The partnership with Salalah Festival is an earnest attempt by Bank Muscat to propagate the core family values held dear by Omanis. Committed to making Salalah Festival a great success, Bank Muscat aims to unite citizens, residents and visitors in sharing the good times and discovering the joy of being connected. The bank seeks to serve as a focal point in the preservation of Oman’s rich heritage and culture, encouraging people to maintain a strong link to the glorious legacy, thereby reinforcing the Sultanate’s distinct cultural character. The bank remains committed to making its presence complement Salalah Festival as a memorable experience.

HSBC BANK OMAN FIRST HALF PROFIT UP BY 87.8% H SBC Bank Oman SAOG announced a net proﬁt of OMR15.4m for the ﬁrst half of 2018 representing an 87.8% increase compared with OMR8.2m for the same period in 2017, driven primarily by a 19.6% growth in revenues. Net trading income increased by 25.5% due to higher trading volumes and balance sheet management optimisation. In addition, fees from our wholesale bank grew 43.6%, as we leveraged our local relationships and our global expertise in Investment Banking and Capital Markets. “Our strong performance in the retail and corporate sectors enabled us to deliver a positive uplift in operating income at the half year,” said Andrew Long, CEO of HSBC Bank Oman.

He added, “Loans and advances to customers grew by 5.0% to OMR1,397m compared with OMR1,331.1m as at 30 June 2017, growth largely being in the bank’s wholesale loans and advances. Customer deposits increased by 4.6% to OMR2,049m compared with OMR1,958.8m as at 30 June 2017.” On the digital front, the bank increased its “new to bank” digital engagement 45% during the second quarter. “Our payments and cash management platform remains market leading, allowing us to provide best in class solutions both locally and internationally, leveraging both our local knowledge, capabilities and expertise, combined with the regional and global connectivity of the HSBC Group.”

The bank continued to show its support to the national agenda with an Omanisation rate of over 93% at the half-year. During the first half of the year, 500 Omani candidates were invited to attend interviews for career opportunities made available by the bank under the government’s national recruitment drive. Additional candidate profiles are currently being screened to shortlist candidates for the remaining opportunities. HSBC Bank Oman operates an extensive network of 48 branches and over 100 ATMs across the country. Through its delivery channels, the bank offers a comprehensive suite of financial products and services designed to serve the needs of retail, corporate and institutional customers.